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Philosophy at University of Sussex - UCAS

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2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

We're proud of our excellent research and high-quality supervision in a broad range of subjects and a variety of traditions. During your PhD, you’ll work in a friendly, open-minded and inclusive environment. You’ll:

  • be part of a lively department with a diverse postgraduate community
  • work with academics who are breaking new ground in their respective fields of research
  • attend our weekly Philosophy Colloquium, workshops, student-led conferences and discussion groups.
Your research project will culminate in a (roughly) 80,000-word thesis. You can choose to work with more than one supervisor and – if your project demands it – one of your supervisors can be from another department. You have the opportunity to audit postgraduate taught modules in Philosophy and other disciplines. You may also be able to gain teaching experience from your second year of study. The Department of Philosophy is part of the School of Media, Arts and Humanities. We’re committed to fostering cross-disciplinary initiatives and relationships with other departments in our School and beyond. The Department hosts the Centre for Social and Political Thought. There are opportunities to work with specialists in political thought. This includes experts not only from Philosophy but from other disciplines such as Sociology, Politics and History. We also have strong ties with Informatics and Cognitive Science. Applications at the intersection of Philosophy and these disciplines are very welcome. You’ll work with academics who are experts at the forefront of their subjects. Our research expertise includes:
  • continental, post-Kantian philosophy; phenomenology, existentialism; with strong specialism in figures such as Heidegger, Husserl, Blanchot, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas, and also in continental approaches to ancient philosophy (especially Plato)
  • epistemology
  • ethics; philosophy of normativity broadly construed, including the normativity of epistemology, logic and meaning
  • feminist philosophy; sex and gender
  • Islamic philosophy
  • philosophy of language; externalism and internalism; conceptual engineering, semantics (expressivism, relativism, contextualism)
  • philosophy of logic; the history of early analytic philosophy (especially Lewis Carroll, Frege and Russell)
  • philosophy of mind and cognitive science; embodied cognition
  • political philosophy with strong specialism in figures such as Hegel, Marks and Rawls; Marxism and critical theory, especially the Frankfurt School.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

Modules

Recent thesis topics include: Adorno and Kant; consciousness and intrinsic physical properties; contingent identity; emotion, cognition and dynamics; ethics and politics in Plato; freedom and self-consciousness; Hegel’s theory of subjectivity; intentionality, error and misrepresentation; language and meaning in Heidegger; Marx’s philosophy of law; Merleau-Ponty and the sensible; Nietzsche and art; perfectionism and liberalism; Russell’s theory of descriptions; the nature of the self; theology in Aristotle’s Metaphysics; truth and realism; Wittgenstein’s theory of the proposition.

Assessment method

Research project

Entry requirements

You’re normally expected to have a Masters degree and an upper second-class (2.1) undergraduate honours degree. Your qualification should be in philosophy or a related subject area. You may also be considered for the degree if you have other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Please click on the course URL to see up-to-date fee information.

Sponsorship information

The Department has been successful in attracting research preparation Master's quota funding via the AHRC Block Grant Partnership Scheme. Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.

Philosophy at University of Sussex - UCAS